Wimbledon: Controversy overshadows doubles final

The unseeded Czech Republic and Slovakian combination of Leos Friedl and Daniela Hantuchova won Wimbledon’s Mixed Doubles crown amid controversy.

They were playing in front of just 120 fans on Court One - while thousands roared on Goran Ivanisevic and Pat Rafter on Centre Court.

Hantuchova, beaten in the second round of the women’s singles by champion Venus Williams, produced some inspiring play as she and her partner came back from a set down to beat American Mike Bryan and South African Leizel Huber, also unseeded, 4-6 6-3 6-2.

Friedel and Hantuchova had put out top seeds Todd Woodbridge and Rennae Stubbs in an earlier round but looked to be heading for defeat in the second set when Hantuchova, serving to save a break at 3-3, fired a serve that looked to be well wide only to be called good by umpire Fiona Edwards.

Bryan and Huber were furious, rounding on Edwards saying: ‘‘This is a Wimbledon final. You should not be in that chair.’’

But the umpire stuck to her guns and from that moment the game of Bryan and Huber went to pieces.

Meanwhile Argentina’s Gisela Dulko and American Ashley Harkleroad, the third seeds, romped to the junior girls title with a 6-3 6-1 triumph over Australia’s Cristina Horiatopoulos and Bethanie Mattek.